Four children who awoke to flames in a motor home on Bennett Street in Grass Valley escaped injury early Monday.

Roughly ages 5 to 15, they first heard a light bulb burst then saw the curtains burning. The second-oldest child climbed back inside after realizing the youngest child hadn't exited, said Nevada County Consolidated Fire Chief Tim Fike.

The fire was reported at 12:55 a.m., but it destroyed the vehicle within minutes, along with a power line directly overhead. Crews cleared the scene at 2:38 a.m.

A frayed lamp wire chewed by a cat is the suspected cause. "Apparently, they thought they had it repaired, but obviously not," Fike said.

The motor home owner, Derek Dixon, was in an adjacent house at 505 Bennett Street, near Ophir Street. He's a parent to at least some of the children, Fike said.

Besides Consolidated, the Grass Valley and Ophir fire departments and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. responded.

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